SECTION XXVIII.

MATT. v. 39.-" Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee; and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." 44.—“ Love your enemies; bless them that curse you." LUKE iii. 11.-" John saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, him do likewise." xiv. 12-" When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not* thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours, lest they also

let

* That is, call not only thy friends, &c. The learned reader knows this to be a very common mode of speaking in the language of the New Testament. See Bos. (Ellipses,) and Whitby on this passage.

bid thee, and a recompense be made thee. But, when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee, but thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."

THESE and similar passages have been much censured, as commanding things utterly impracticable, and exhorting to a height of morality utterly unattainable. And certainly it must be confessed that the practice of the thoughtless world is but little agreeable to these admonitions. But it must be observed that we have elsewhere proved, even from heathen writers, the great prevalence of vice above virtue in the world; and that, if we will be persuaded that that morality only is to be the object of our pursuit which has the conduct of the majority of mankind for its sanction, we must be content with very humble attainments indeed in virtue. We must observe, too, that religion is a high and sublime principle of action; making us dissatisfied with our best efforts and with our most successful advances,-causing us to "forget the things which are behind, and to press forward towards those which are

before us, not as if we had already attained, or were already perfect;" but exciting us to go on unto perfection,-to think "nothing done, while anything remains to be done;"-and even calling us to delight and rejoice in obstacles and in hardships, in sacrifices and in humiliations. And here let me quote the words of an excellent writer,* who, in speaking of some of the passages under our notice, well observes:"These are extreme lengths of submission; ; but the severity of the rule teaches us how few limits can be put to obedience, and how wisely our Saviour has provided against any line which our presumption might be apt to set to exertion and perfectibility." Indeed, our Lord takes this ground from our feet, by directing us to imitate the pattern of all perfection: "Be ye perfect, even as your Father is perfect." But then we must observe, to use the words of a late eloquent divine,† that "when we consider the exalted rewards by which God allures us to obedience, we cannot but allow that the highest attainments may justly be expected of us. Nor is it reasonable that the eternal glories of the redeemed should be the fruit of

* Gilly's Spirit of the Gospel, p. 25.

+ Southgate's Sermons.

their indolence, and not the effects of such victories over the world as prepare them for receiving the crown of life. The promises of the Gospel, were they made to the slothful, would be without the proper stamp and authenticity of their divine Author."

But we must leave these preliminary remarks, and observe, that what has been done, may be done again and that what has been done by mortals like ourselves, may be done by ourselves. And if we can prove that morality, similar to that recommended by Scripture, was recommended by pagans, then Scripture will be justified by the analogy of reason; and it must be allowed that it insists, not on crudities and impossibilities, but on what is really sound and practicable.

The first sentences are recommendations to abstain from returning injury. Such a spirit is shown by our not being exasperated at provocation; but rather by our being ready, if necessary, to allow a further injury to be done to our persons and property, than to resent what has been done, and to break out into retaliation, giving hurt for hurt, and blow for blow, thus suffering the offender to be put on the defensive. So how much better to bear insult patiently, and to

suffer abuse upon abuse, than to resort to recrimination, giving word for word, and thus putting ourselves in the wrong. It is certain that a second blow, or a second abuse, would often be averted by patiently enduring the first; or, instead of returning it, by calmly and mildly asking the reason for the first, as Christ himself acted. (John xviii. 22, 23.) "Each retaliation," says a late annotator,* *"must render enmities eternal; being a fresh injury, it would require fresh satisfaction, and thus no period could be assigned to the reciprocation of affronts. But to suffer injuries for the sake of peace, when no duty requires the contrary, would, if this disposition were universal, render the christian world a happy society of friends." To produce, however, this most desirable result, the grand desideratum is the conquest over self, a virtue which is highly eulogized even by the Roman writers.

Nor is the prohibition of retaliation unconfirmed by the authority of the pagan world. "Some of the heathen philosophers," says Mr. Elsley,t" perceived the folly and weakness of revenge. Thus Plato (in Criton.) says, 'Nor

*The Rev. E. Valpy on Matt. v. 39.

+ Annot. on the Gospels, vol. i. p. 110.